You can pick up wedding inspiration from the oddest places and at the oddest times, but it’s not often that a violent crime drama set in Prohibition-era America can influence what you wear on your big day.

‘Boardwalk Empire’ returned to UK screens for it’s third season this past weekend, and while I’m not so much a fan of the violence and unscrupulous activities of it’s male cast, I love some of the 20s style on show! Like ‘Mad Men’ before it, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ is like a televised catwalk of vintage style.

The current series of the show is set in 1923, right in the thick of the roaring ‘20s. It captures this era perfectly with plenty of 20s music, accurate period decorations and a plethora of flapper-style fashion. It’s well worth sitting down in front of the show with a notepad if you’re planning a vintage wedding with a ‘20s theme!

Below are some of the vintage wedding accessories you’ll need to recreate the ‘20s look.

Headpieces

Nothing says flapper fashion like a glamourous wedding headpiece! When it comes to mimicking the style of the ‘20s, the more of a statement you make, the better. Opt for pieces with plenty of Swarovski crystals and pearls and ideally with a statement embellishment. Here’s some headpieces I’d recommend:

• Paris Forehead Tiara by Stephanie Browne
• Tuscany Headpiece by Halo and Co
• St. Tropez 1920s Headpiece by Stephanie Browne (pictured)
• Victoria Feather Fascinator by Justine M Couture

Plenty of Pearls

Pearl jewellery is the signature piece of flapper fashion so get stocking up on pearl necklaces, bracelets and earrings! Again, opulence is the order of the day so make sure to buy jewellery with lavish ornaments and eye-catching embellishments.

• Kelly Pearl Bracelet by Stephanie Browne
• Art Deco Disc Original Vintage Necklace by Magpie Vintage
• Victoria Pearl Bridal Necklace by Justine M Couture (pictured)
• Nora Pearl Bridal Earrings by Justin M Couture

Shrugs, Stoles and Shawls

The piece de resistance of 1920s fashion, a feather shrug, stole or shawl can add a real statement to your bridal outfit – as well as keeping you nice and snug even if the weather is anything but!

• Florence Ostrich Shrug by Sasso
• Alexi Marabou Jacket by Sasso (pictured)
• Paris Ostrich Feather Vest by Sasso

I hope you’ve found this guide useful and I really recommend tuning into ‘Boardwalk Empire’ if you’re looking for 1920s inspiration. What’s more, your other half will probably love it for the action and ongoing crime saga, so you won’t need to worry about any boredom on their part either!

It’s July, which means we are officially at the height of wedding season! This usually means thousands of beautiful brides tying the knot in glorious sunshine but the British summer has pulled its old trick of not showing up on cue, which has meant lots and lots of rain!

As any married woman will tell you, a bit of a rain is never enough to dampen the spirits on the big day, but it is enough to make a bride chilly! With the horrible weather in mind, I’ve taken the opportunity to look at one of my favourite designers, Sasso, and their stunning range of bridal jackets, shrugs, stoles and shawls. They’re all guaranteed to make you look gorgeous whilst also protecting you from the elements. I’ve also given some of my own tips on how to style them too!

Valencia Maribou Stole

The Valencia Marabou Stole is a stunning piece made from ivory marabou tails and is heavily inspired by the glamour of the 1940s – think Rita Hayworth and Katharine Hepburn. It’s not only gorgeous either – this versatile stole can either be worn as a cape around the shoulders for braving the elements or more traditionally through the arms during the ceremony and the reception.

Keep up the ‘40s theme by teaming this stole with a piece of statement jewellery, such as this crystal necklace from Ivory and Co. These Polly wedding shoes by Harriet Wilde are more traditionally ‘50s in their style but the slingback detail and exposed toe can also apply to the ‘40s, and a bit of accessorising with these Sparkle Shoe Clips by Rachel Simpson can add an extra edge of ‘40s glamour.

Paris Ostrich Feather Vest

Made from gorgeous ivory ostrich feathers, this versatile piece is perfect for evoking the timeless glamour of the ‘20s and ‘30s. Inspired by the classic ‘Flapper girl’ look, this vest can either be worn as a shrug or a wrap, offering not just one but two beautiful styles. It’s a head-turner and guaranteed to make any bride look amazing. I’m sure you’ll agree it looks quite cosy too!

For an effortlessly stylish ‘20s look, complement this piece with stacks of jewellery and finish with a statement headpiece. Pearls are perfect for channelling flapper girl style, and one designer who really does ‘20s jewellery well is Stephanie Browne – her 1920s-inspired Kelly pearl necklace and bracelet are to die for! Top off the look with this amazing St. Tropez headpiece, also from Stephanie Browne, and the divine Hettie wedding shoes from Rachel Simpson.

Alaska Feather Bridal Jacket

Another piece inspired by the ‘20s, this jaw-dropping Alaska ostrich feather jacket is definitely the boldest piece in this post! This long-sleeved number is a real statement piece and perfect for the bride who wants to wants to stun her guests from the moment she steps down the aisle. The jacket can be worn either open or closed – either way, it looks out of this world.

This jacket looks fantastic with a slinky ‘20s-style dress and, despite its bold look, will complement rather than overwhelm. As the jacket is quite a statement piece, you might want to avoid anything too outlandish with your shoes and jewellery whilst still evoking that ‘20s glamour – these Tilly shoes by Rachel Simpson and the Eliza side tiara by Ivory and Co should do the trick.

Minnelli Marabou Shrug

The luxurious Minnelli shrug is classic and versatile – not only does it look wonderful, but it can add an edge of vintage glamour to just about any dress imaginable. Whether your wedding is heavily themed or you simply want a vintage piece to style a traditional bridal outfit with, the Minnelli is perfect for just about any bride looking for a shrug. The light texture of the Marabou feathers mean that it can be worn in either summer or winter, and it’s not just for brides either – bridesmaids can look equally stunning without upstaging the bride! It also comes in three colours – ivory, cream and champagne.

As the Minnelli is such a versatile piece, I’m going to point you to this post from last year for inspiration. The beautiful Anna chose the Minnelli for her wedding day – doesn’t she look wonderful?

These are just a couple of my favourite pieces from Sasso; why not take a look at the range for yourself and see what takes your fancy? I’d love to hear your styling tips too!

Kate x

For brides-to-be looking for a vintage inspired wedding, the era most favoured this season is the 1920′s.

It was the birth of Hollywood, the rise of the glamorous movie starlets and the beginning of an incredibly influential fashion generation.

I love the 20′s for its pearls, ostrich feathers and t-bar shoes and you love it too.  Your favourite piece by far has to be the St Tropez headpiece by Stephanie Browne and I don’t blame you.

St Tropez Headpiece £399

St Tropez headpiece, Art Deco earrings

St Tropez Comb, Vivienne Bracelet, Imperial Bracelet, Peacock Earrings

Hopefully you enjoyed reading my 1920′s inspired wedding post recently, highlighting just a few ideas and suggestions if you are considering that particular era as a theme for your own bridal ensemble.

Next up is the 1930′s, a truly glamorous and sensuous time in the history of fashion. Think big bands, long satin gowns and a real influence by Hollywood starlets of the time like the incredibly stunning Joan Crawford.

Having a 1930′s wedding calls for some serious sophisticated glamour – brides can pull the look together with a sleek satin gown, sparkly heels (like Tess from Filippa Scott) and perhaps a contrasting Sasso feather shrug for full of Va Va Voom! For bridal jewellery focus on strong shapes and bold designs – the Art Deco movement was in full swing and was evident everywhere in the 1930′s including a brand new building in New York called the Empire State!  I LOVE this St Tropez Brooch from Stephanie Browne as a real statement piece.

Tess Shoes £100

Alaska Feather Bridal Jacket £250

Finally don’t forget to send me your wedding day photographs, especially if you have rocked a theme – you might see yourself on our real brides gallery!

Kate x

Choosing a theme for your bridal ensemble and your wedding accessories is a huge task undertaken by brides-to-be every day. Trying to be unique, picking something that brings out your character and personality and then tying it all together to fit inside your budget can often be a real headache.

I have put together some inspiration boards on the Queens and Bowl website that hopefully will help to give you your lightbulb moment and inspire you to choose the perfect weddings accessories for you.

Let’s start with the 1920′s…

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said “The parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser, and the liquor was cheaper…”

The 20′s came in with a ‘ROAR’! Think the Great Gatsby, flapper girls, stepping out of the restraints of a corset and into smooth flowing fabrics teamed with short, wavy bobs.

Let your imagination run wild for your 1920′s inspired wedding. For wedding shoes, choose a round-toe single-bar helled pump like the ‘Hettie‘ style from Rachel Simpson. Pile on the pearls for your bridal jewellery with our fantastic selection of necklaces and bracelets from designers like Stephanie Browne and finish your look with a splash of ostrich feathers from our choice of gorgeous, luxury wedding stoles, capes and shrugs. Voila! A Hollywood film starlet hitting the floor for your first dance Charleston-style!

Hettie Ivory pair £160

Kelly Necklace £330

Kelly Pearl Bracelet £240

Paris Champagne £229

How exciting – the brand new range of Rachel Simpson wedding shoes are now available to buy! Rachel Simpson wedding shoes are one of my best-selling ranges at Queens & Bowl and the latest collection is certainly set to keep them that way.

The 2012 range of bridal shoes complements Rachel’s current Ivory Collection and Pearl Collection, which both take their vintage inspiration from the elegant 1920s and 1930s eras and offer brides understated, timeless and detailed designs.

The new 2012 collection has at its heart the ultra-feminine and glamorous feel of the 1940s. And even more exciting for brides looking for low heel wedding shoes, there’s a real choice of options! From the totally flat, ballerina style bridal pump that is Betty, to ballroom T-bars like Tilly and pretty courts like Maisie, there’s a host of possibilities for brides who want comfortable bridal shoes! I think that these new, lower styles are also a great choice for bridesmaids too.

Low heel wedding shoes are a key feature of Rachel Simpson's 2012 collection.

Rachel has also included some popular concealed platform styles like Rosalyn and Tallulah, which add height yet make for a much more comfortable wear – especially on your wedding day, where you’ll spend so much time on your feet!

Concealed platforms add height but take the strain off your feet!

As with all of Rachel’s vintage wedding shoes, there’s a real emphasis on luxurious fabric combinations and careful attention to detail. She’s added beautiful touches with the incorporation of satin, lace, kid suede and pearlised leather, plus the floral insole that will become the signature of the new collection.

And if your colour tastes are on the wilder side of ivory wedding shoes, there’s plenty for you too, but more on that to follow later…

So yet again Rachel has managed to mix that perfect combination of timeless vintage with contemporary styling to make one of the most exciting but easy-to-wear wedding shoe collections of the year!

Kate. x

Hello, just little post today and again it’s one of my gorgous brides! This time it’s Katie, who wore the beautiful Minnelli marabou feather shrug by Sasso.

Katie chose the shrug as the final ‘missing piece’ of her wedding day look. I absolutely love Katie’s 1920s style wedding and think her beaded champagne satin shift dress and feather headpiece were unusual and therefore absolutely perfect for this classy, elegant and unique wedding celebration.

Katie in the fluffy Minnelli feather shrug by Sasso

Katie continued the nostalgic feel on her table settings too...

As these images by Annamarie Stepney show, with a little imagination and some great wedding accessories, you can really achieve a unique vintage look AND have the benefit of being able to wear the items again – especially when you incorporate totally flattering and wearable colours such as champagne!

The champagne colour of the shrug complemented Katie's beaded shift perfectly.

Shrugs are also perfect for keeping the chills off during outside photos and drinks receptions....

If you’re thinking of going for a similar look, why not take a leaf out of Katie’s book and add a pair of killer heels and a feather headpiece? Our beautiful wedding shoe range by Harriet Wilde is perfect as all of the shoes can be dyed to match any outfit and our little Tiffany feather headpiece is perfect for recreating a 1920s Art Deco feel.

Harriet Wilde wedding shoes can be dyed to match your outfit and feathers add a 1920s feel.

So if you dream of expressing your individuality on your wedding day and fancy wearing your wedding accessories again and again after the big day, consider alternatives to ivory and choose a pair of wedding shoes that can be dyed before or after your wedding. These photos are testament that you won’t regret it!

Express your individuality on your Big Day!

Thanks again to Annamarie Stepney for these amazingly beautiful images.

Kate. x

Hello! Although I have been quiet on the blog lately, I have been busy pulling together other delights for you – in the form of new Inspiration pages for the Queens & Bowl website! I had some lovely feedback about my original Inspiration pages, which covered how to pull together a 1920s, 1930s, 1940s or 1950s vintage wedding – so I thought it was about time to add some more!

So here’s the first one that came to mind – of course – the vintage princess look! Yes, totally inspired by the Royal Wedding of William and Catherine and, in turn, the influence of Grace Kelly.

Catherine mixed classic Grace Kelly style with her own sleek look.

Kate’s intricate A-line, long-sleeved lace wedding dress drew heavy influence from Princess Grace’s own dress when she married Prince Ranier of Monaco in 1956. Kate also took influence from Princess Grace’s signature sleek, simple styling with her wedding accessories too.

To get the look, complement lace details in your wedding dress with an heirloom-style tiara like the Alexandra tiara by Ivory & Co.

Wedding jewellery really needs to be simple little accents that won’t fight with the intricate detail of the dress. If you’ve gone for a short sleeved dress, then a thin crystal bracelet, like the square crystal bracelet by Filippa Scott, is a great accessory. If the sleeves of your wedding dress are long like Kate’s, then choose simple drop earrings like the Madison earrings by Stephanie Browne that won’t upset the balance between your dress and accessories.

Mid-heeled wedding shoes are perfect for this kind of classic look – choose a simple style in a sleek fabric like duchess satin with some slight detail, like the beautiful Marcie Wedding shoes by Harriet Wilde.

If you’ve gone for short sleeves or a strapless wedding dress, then a little marabou feather shrug like the Minnelli shrug by Sasso is perfect for finishing off the look.

Kate. xx

If you’re searching for a really unusual, vintage-inspired wedding headpiece, then one of Jo Barnes’ designs could be just what you’re looking for. Her bridal side tiaras and combs are hand-made by Jo herself in her home in the south of England and take influence from the 1920s and 1930s. Here Jo told me a bit more about her business and designs….

Jo Barnes - The lady herself!

1. First of all, could you briefly describe your business and ethos?

Jo Barnes Vintage is my wonderful vintage headdress and accessory business, which I set up after creating my very own bouquet and headdress for our wedding in 2009 with my Nana’s vintage jewellery. All items are hand crafted using the finest materials. It was my mission to create accessories for brides that they will be able to wear again and again and not just on their wedding day. You can choose from an original vintage “one off” piece if you are after something unique or a vintage inspired piece, which-ever you choose you will be sure to sparkle like a Hollywood starlet….

2. Can you describe a typical working day? What do you like / dislike the most?

No day is the same, that’s what I love about it. I get to meet and talk to lovely brides to be and I get to design and create pretty sparkly things, what more can a girl want!!!  I love what I do the only downside is the state of my fingers (nothing a good manicure can’t fix…)

3. Who would be your dream client and why? What do you think they’d choose to wear?

My dream client??? Ummm (I’m really not sure to be honest) It would be really fab to have a famous person wear one of my creations but all my brides are a dream to work with, I can honestly say I haven’t yet had to deal with one bridezilla….

4. What’s the most unusual request you’ve had from a bride-to-be?

No unusual requests so far, I do get brides asking me to copy other designers work, my reply to that “If you want to wear a creation by another designer then go and purchase it from them”

The beautiful Audrey side tiara and Rhea comb

5. What’s your greatest achievement of your career to date?

The greatest achievement for me is just how quickly my business has grown, it really has been incredible and I cannot thank my brides enough and also the lovely Annabel at Lovemydress who helped me get to where I am now…

6. What’s the most memorable thing you’ve seen at a wedding as a guest?

Our good friend married an Italian lady, they had a traditional Italian wedding and I can honestly say I have never seen so much food, it was unbelievable…. My husband and I had what we thought was the main meal and was totally full and that was just the starter, there were 4 more courses after that and then they had a BBQ!!! It was unreal but it was such a beautiful wedding it was like being on a movie set… and in the evening they had a huge pool party, just fabulous…

7. What are the overriding trends we’ll see in your next collection?

1920’s inspired headdresses, with lots of pearls…

Unusual designs in the form of Etta and Mirta Side Tiaras

8. What advice would you give to a bride-to-be starting her search for a headpiece?

I always tell my brides to “Choose your wedding gown first” this will avoid extra spending when you realise the headdress you bought doesn’t match your gown…  It’s also a good idea to have an idea of how you would like to wear your hair on the day, and this will help decide whether you have a comb or headband and if you have pearls or crystals in your gown try and incorporate these in your headdress as this will compliment the gown.

9. What career path would you have taken if you weren’t a designer?

I always wanted to open my own tea shop, I adore baking, which is what I do when I get a bit of spare time, I love to be in my kitchen with my music blaring out whilst making yummy cakes…I’d like to think that’s what I would have been doing now if I wasn’t a headdress designer…

10. What would you do if you won the Euro Millions?!

Create headdresses with real diamonds….

~~~

Ooh – real diamonds?! I’ll take one of those! If you do choose one of Jo’s gorgeous designs, make sure you check out Rachel Simpson‘s beautiful range of vintage wedding shoes – just perfect for Jo’s Art Deco designs!

Kate x

In amongst all the pre-Christmas rush, you may not have noticed that quite a few new wedding accessories designers have come on board at Queens & Bowl Wedding Accessories. One of these such brands was no-less than the amazingly talented Jo Barnes, with her Jo Barnes Vintage headdress collection.

I’m really excited to have Jo’s work as part of my collection after being a fan for quite some time after seeing her very own wedding on Love My Dress. Married at the Fairmont in Banff, Canada, Jo started on her accessory designing career by creating her very own vintage bridal bouquet from her grandmother’s antique jewellery, plus pearls and cufflinks from other relatives. Already a huge fan of the 1930s era, she started designing and creating bouquets and headpieces for other brides-to-be using genuine vintage pieces.

The gorgeous Audrey headpiece by Jo Barnes

As well as genuine one-off items, Jo has now branched out into designing vintage-inspired items, based on classic 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s designs. And the good news is that Jo’s bridal headpieces, side tiaras and wedding hair combs they are now available at Queens & Bowl. All of Jo’s are created with the following features:

• The finest materials, including Swarovski crystals and Swarovski crystal pearls
• Light, flexible bands for a comfortable fit and easy re-shaping around your chosen hairstyle
• Silver or gold-plated bases for extra twinkle!
• Some headbands are also covered with satin ribbon in either ivory (for blondes) or brown (for readheads / brunettes) to help the band become invisible against your hair, making the adornment even more of a statement.
• Finally, Jo’s designs come in GORGEOUS packaging

The seriously glam Etta and Mirta bridal headpieces.

I’m so glad to have Jo on board – please check out her range now for some gorgeous and inspiring pieces!

Kate. xx